UNSC calls for sanctions but does not provide for mandate for W African force

Security Council calls for sanctions against fighters in north and said razing of shrines could lead to ICC charges.

Up to 2,000 people joined protest calling for army intervention in the north where fighters enforced sharia [Reuters]

The United Nations Security Council, UNSC, has passed a resolution that calls for sanctions against fighters in Mali.

Thursday’s call does not include a provision for a UN mandate to a proposed African force in the conflict-stricken West African nation.

Resolution 2056, which called on UN states to submit names of individuals and groups linked to Al-Qaeda “notably in
the north of Mali”, was passed unanimously by the 15-nation body.

The resolution also warned that the desecration of Muslim shrines in the northern Timbuktu, blamed on fighters from the group Ansar Dine, could lead to charges of war crimes in the International Criminal Court.

In the capital, Bamako, 2,000 people have joined a sit-in protest at the Independence Square monument, calling for army intervention in the north where fighters have enforced strict sharia law, destroyed ancient shrines and trapped residents with landmines.

West African force

West African nations have been pressing for UN backing for a proposed intervention force they want to send to Mali, where a military coup on March 22 was followed by a breakthrough by fighters in the north.

The UNSC called on West African states to provide more information about the objectives and means of the proposed force before it could act. Read more…